Ramblin Fan

Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee had his knee taken out by Lions safety Kerby Joseph in a 2024 playoff game, missed most of the next season, and was still dealing with lingering effects from the injury this offseason. That hasn't stopped the 33-year-old, now in Year 11, from leading Rams tight ends this season. The offense has needed him. Young star Terrance Ferguson is on injured reserve. Colby Parkinson, who led LA tight ends a year ago, has dealt with shoulder and knee injuries.

The Los Angeles Rams worked out a mutually acceptable contract this offseason with quarterback Matthew Stafford, but that's not necessarily an indication of their confidence in him. It was merely a courtesy to give their girl-dad QB a convenient off-ramp to his NFL career without remorse or guilt for letting down his team. Amid an inconsistent start to the season, Stafford had no lack of doubters before Monday's game against the Buffalo Bills.

The Los Angeles Rams' defense failed to show up in a Week 5 overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills. Well, partially failed. LA held Bills quarterback Josh Allen to a 12-of-19 passing performance that resulted in 219 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. That's impressive for an overtime game. The run defense did not show the same resolve. The Bills ran 37 times for 234 yards and three touchdowns. The Rams knew they had to stop Bills running back James Cook. They failed.

There is no doubt in any Los Angeles Rams fan's mind that special teams are a huge concern. Coordinator Bubba Ventrone is in the headlines on a weekly basis. Even after shedding kicker Harrison Mevis, plenty of problems remain. For example in Week 5, Buffalo Bills returner Ray Davis fielded the opening kickoff and ran it right up the middle for 70 yards to LA's 26. That one play is an unfortunately accurate microcosm. Not only are special teams not fixed, but they may be regressing.

Los Angeles Rams special teams have been just as bad as any fan could tell you. By EPA per play, Bubba Ventrone's group ranks dead last in the NFL. Not just last, though. The gap between the Rams in 32nd and the Titans in 31st is greater than that between any other consecutive pairing on the list. The Rams have cost themselves 28 points, 9.5 points more than the 30th-place Chargers. 26.3 points more than the 16th-place Steelers.

Kickers missing kicks, opposing backs running wild, a throw sailed over the head of an open receiver. The Los Angeles Rams have had their share of hair-pulling problems in just about every game this season. Wide receiver Puka Nacua has been one of the few constants they can count on. When the Rams' first-half offense couldn't get much going against the Buffalo Bills, there was Nacua catching everything thrown his way.

The Los Angeles Rams lost their third prime-time game in Week 5, this one in overtime, to the Buffalo Bills. While fans are immediately focused on underwhelming special teams, there were other culprits that led to the loss. Perhaps the most difficult to detect is the fact that Los Angeles again abandoned its rushing attack. The Rams ran 77 offensive plays. Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw 54 passes, completing 40 for 383 yards and three touchdowns.

We knew the ban hammer was coming for left tackle Alaric Jackson when reports surfaced that he had punched Bills linebacker Bradley Chubb on the field after Monday's game. That doesn't make his two-game ban any easier to stomach for Los Angeles Rams fans still reeling from a disastrous defeat. Nice going, Alaric. Jackson plans to appeal the suspension, according to head coach Sean McVay. It won't be rescinded. Good luck having it reduced. The NFL cares about optics.

Kicker Harrison Mevis is gone, and so is punt returner Xavier Smith, but that doesn't mean Los Angeles Rams special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone is safe. Far from it. Mevis' win-wiping blunders against the Buffalo Bills were hardly the only culprit on Rams special teams in the game, and more broadly speaking, during the season thus far. How about a game-opening 70-yard kickoff return? Does the seat feel hot yet, Coach Ventrone? It's not a one-game disaster. It's been this way all season.

The Los Angeles Rams' vaunted superteam has stumbled to a 2-3 start that could have easily been 1-4 had it not been for a furious comeback in Week 4. Sean McVay's team suffered a serious gut punch during their Monday Night Football defeat to the Buffalo Bills, as special teams wasted a brilliant game from Matthew Stafford. LA's 37-34 overtime loss could have been a win had kicker Harrison Mevis not missed a field goal early on and had a second one in overtime blocked.